career planning Archives - The Grassy Road

There’s no dishonor in being fired (most of the time)

So you "get fired" - what does that really mean? And should you feel bad, or is it an opportunity to review where you really belong. Let's start with the word. Fired. The web has a variety of etymologies for the word fired being applied to losing ones job but the version I grew up with is that when a craftsman was very bad at his job (say... working on a Medieval cathedral) and he was kicked off the crew his tools would be thrown into the fire (so he [...]

By Penny Herscher|2019-01-04T09:59:44-08:00September 7, 2018|Career Advice|Comments Off

Managing the switchbacks of your career

A successful career is rarely a straight line up the slope. It is so often a weaving up through experiences and it's important to recognize how and when to weave. I did a coaching session yesterday where just this question came up. This time the individual had years of engineering, both as a stellar software engineer and also as a manager and can feel he wants to do more - can do more - and knows he needs to broaden his skillset. I have a handful of principles which can [...]

By Penny Herscher|2019-01-04T10:01:14-08:00July 18, 2018|Career Advice|Comments Off

Top 3 things to look for in your first job

It can be hard to find that first job, and sometimes you need to take whatever you can get to start your career. But whether it is your very first job or a job search in the first five years of your career, there are three critical things you should not settle without. 1. A great manager Having a great manager early on will by far create the strongest impact toward your long-term growth. Working for someone who is talented, generous with their time, and willing to teach you can [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T09:44:53-08:00December 17, 2015|Career Advice|0 Comments

Being CEO is your last job

I often end up in the same conversation with ambitious entrepreneurs. They want to run their own business... they have an idea, or are frustrated with their current position, they are building a plan to get to being CEO of their own company and they want advice. Thursday evening I was in just such a conversation with a talented pending entrepreneur - and it's a coaching moment. Before you get too wedded to the idea it's important to think through how long you plan to be CEO for. 2 years, [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T16:50:12-08:00February 11, 2013|Leadership|0 Comments

How to think about your career path

I was asked to speak to a mentoring group at our audit firm - Frank Rimmerman - this morning. It was an early morning group - all women - all accountants but in different roles: auditors, internal accountants and outsource accounting. All under 40, the majority under 35.Since it was an early morning session, and I only had 45 minutes, I decided to take a casual approach and discuss three basic guiding principles to help the audience structure their thinking about their career path.After a preamble about the path my [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-03T02:44:45-08:00November 5, 2009|Career Advice, Equality|1 Comment